Tim Lockie

Tim is passionate about the work that nonprofits do, and passionate about the technology that helps to achieve that work more effectively. His history with the nonprofit world and technology seem to be intertwined. With 20 years of organization experience, Tim has been a volunteer, youth worker, camp counselor, music instructor, foster parent, getaway driver for teens in danger, board member, finance director, bookkeeper, recruiter, community administrator…the list goes on. In these capacities, he has seen system deficiencies range from missed opportunities to damaged relationships.

The first job Tim had out of high school was with a printing company, where he worked as a layout typesetter. Not only was it his first real job, but it was also the first time he used computers extensively, and his aptitude for technology was magnetic. Tim’s first real nonprofit experience came after moving into a men’s halfway house in Montana., where he served as the house manager and began using technology to manage information. There, he experienced firsthand how the lack of practical systems made his work harder, more complicated, and less effective.

After studying Economics and Business Administration at San Francisco State University, Tim had two career options: find a bank data analyst job where fewer hours garnered a larger paycheck, or to work for a nonprofit doing work he actually believed in. Tim chose the latter option. He became the Director of Recruiting at InnerChange, where he quickly realized what an impact the lack of solid, formal system to track of potential recruits was having on the organization. Tim reached an epiphany: He saw the connection between people who wanted to serve but were unable to connect, and system failure. He began to understand that these systems were not just a mere mere detail to an organization… They were integral to goal achievement and growth.

Tim spent six years trying to chase down a system that could support InnerChange—a system that could track finances, contacts, tasks, calendars, and projects. Finally, in 2008, Tim logged onto Salesforce for the first time to test it out… And he was astounded by its impact. Salesforce was able to meet the long list of needs that no other system could seem to match.

Tim believes that technology is as much art as it is science, and this is the mindset that drives him today. Technology does not just consist of systems, but it is also capable of empowering others—which the vision of Now IT Matters.